Dog Bans

[Armand]

I beleive that it is a terrible idea to ban dog breeds because of what a few people do with their dogs. I think that instead of punishing the animal, cities should punish the owners. I feel that this is just like the ban on fireworks. It takes one person to screw it up for the rest of us.
Please post your opinions.

[PhantomsPrinceWillia]

the owners can get in trouble... but more often than not they dont.... i agree with you and i agree that people ruin things for the rest of us... while we dont train our dogs to fight here it isnt the dogs fault it is the owners fault... shoot the owners not the dogs that is what i say...

It is the owners at fault not the dogs.... shoot em all!

[chithedobe]

Unfortunately I've lived through breed bans and know first hand how awful they are... Was in Germany when BSL was passed against Pits and many others and was the proud owner of a wonderful American Pit Bull Terrier... I agree that BSL is a crock and that the people not the breed should be punished... But I also assert that a large contributor to this problem (aggressive anti-social behavior) are those who breed their dogs irresponsibly. Not many (if any) of the dogs that perpetuated the perceived need for this BSL came from responisble breeders.

[Blackdoberman]

Originally Posted by chithedobe

Unfortunately I've lived through breed bans and know first hand how awful they are... Was in Germany when BSL was passed against Pits and many others and was the proud owner of a wonderful American Pit Bull Terrier... I agree that BSL is a crock and that the people not the breed should be punished... But I also assert that a large contributor to this problem (aggressive anti-social behavior) are those who breed their dogs irresponsibly. Not many (if any) of the dogs that perpetuated the perceived need for this BSL came from responisble breeders.

You are absolutely right. Irresponsible breeding for the wrong reasons of the wrong dogs are the fault of this. It is the people at fault.

[Armand]

yes the people are the ones to blame. There are so many people who breed dogs to fight and to be aggresive. People do what they want whether its right or wrong, but some people don't stop this. That's why we have bans in this world.

[chithedobe]

Originally Posted by Armand

yes the people are the ones to blame. There are so many people who breed dogs to fight and to be aggresive. People do what they want whether its right or wrong, but some people don't stop this. That's why we have bans in this world.

Armand,
You're right some detestable people do breed specifically for aggressive tendencies and for fighting and it's an understatement to say they need to be stopped, inprisoned or even shot... But even those who breed with their best -albeit ill informed- intentions are contributing to this outrage. John and Jane Doe who have a pair of Rotties, Pits, Dobes or even Cocker Spaniels and decide to breed on a lark are big players in this scheme. Can they guarantee where their pups are going to end up in 2 years? (granted even the most responsible breeders can not fully guarantee this but more often than not the responsible breeder will have a pretty solid contract dictating the dog will be returned to them) Can they guarantee that their pups won't fall into the hands of the most heinous society has to offer? Have John and Jane adequately met all the vast medical testing needed to guarantee a healthy and stable adult dog? (more often than not the answer is no)
Then you have the back yard breeders who breed trying to make a few bucks (my little brother falls into this catagory arggggg, but I am working on him) and sell their dogs to whoever has the $$$ reguardless of their intentions.
In my most humble opinion to get to the root of the matter we need to stop all breeding UNLESS it is done responsibly and for the primary purpose of bettering the breed. If that were to happen I would estimate that about 98% of breedings would stop. Fewer unwanted, uncared for, unsocialized and aggressive dogs in the wrong hands would mean fewer idiots owning them and fewer problems all around...

[Blackdoberman]

You got that Chithedobe, in addition there is a finger to be pointed at the irresponsible breeders that breed for "fads" too. Such as oversize dogs, or even colors or temperment or pchysical traits outside the realm of the breed standard. The push such animals as "exceptional" or "rare" or someother exaggeration just to pump sales figures. More and more irresponsible breeding leads to more and more breed problems. The more "fads" there are with a breed the more they will fall into the wrong hands.

It's an vicious ugly trend that is getting farther and farther out of control.

[Armand]

Yes Blackdoberman, I agree with u. this ban is a waste of money and resources and should be abolished.

I also want to say that i would like to hear what those of u who r pro dog banning have to say.

[Miss. Chi]

The Ontario (a provinical Canadian government) has recently placed a ban on pit bulls and ordered that all existing pit bulls be muzzled. While there was obviously oposition to this legislation, I never got the impression that the media was taking it seriously. However, as the legislation is currently comming into effect there is going to be a judicial challenge placed by a private citizen and various dog associations. In my humble opinion I think the legislation was simply passed as a political move with little thought put into what was going on with the bill. It was passed in response to a vicious attack on a young girl. While this is a tragic event a dog is a dog.....its the logical (in some cases) thinking people who should be held responsible for creating a menace to society. Anywho....thats my two cents.

Here are some links on the issue up here in the great frozen north.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/natio...005_08_25.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/dogs/

[JessiandLucy]

I too disagree with banning dog breeds...However, it is just a fact some dogs are more protective, will defend their property and people more than others. These dogs just have to be owned by responsible people. There is no way to regulate that unfortunatly. My own experience is with my highly irresponsible neighbor next door. They have 2 Rottweilers. One, was raised by the woman before she met antisocial weirdo man. This dog is a sweet loving animal that only wants to be pet. The dog raised by antisocial weirdo man is INSANE. My son and I were outdside one day and the woman came home and opened her garage door. She did not know it but the dogs were in there. (they live there most of the time, Problem 1) I was videotaping my little boy playing when I heard the dog charge out of the garage towards us. It was snarling and running very fast, I screamed grabbed my son and ran into the garage towards the door, I ran in and the dog hurled itself against the door....all the while my neighbor lady is yelling the dogs name. She had to go in my garage and get the dog. Now, this dog was NOT coming over to say "hi" to us. It is a danger to all the people in our neighborhood. When I am outside it hurls itself against the rickety fence it lives behind and snarls. I was going to leave the incident alone because she did not know they were in there, but the antisocial man came out and blamed it on ME!!! He said I was acting frightened, and alrmed his beloved dog. He never apologized to me or promised to fix the problem or assure me it would never happen again. So I turned them into animal control. I did not want to, but it had to be done. They only got a small fine but if she gets out again and threatens us she will be taken away. Now they hate us, but whatever. They are real careful with that dog now. And when I am outside attempting to play with my son they tell her to stop throwing herself against the fence and growling at us. It is much more pleasant here now. It just upsets me so much because any person is allowed to own a dog and it is the OWNERS, who in a huge majority of the cases make the dog nuts. This guy got the dog as a status symbol....We have lived here 3 years and I have seen him walk her 2 times. You just have to socialize the heck out of all dogs especially ones that will have a guarding instinct. I mean I have a GSD and I read so many books before I got her, I sat in front of a freaking wal mart a few days a week, so she could meet tons of kids and people. I took her to puppy classes. We had puppy parties. I know as a Stay at home mom I will have the time to own a dog. Even people that work all day can make a great life for their dogs and they do. You just have to be devoted. My neigbor is not and his dog is another sad example of it. I just wish everyone would make an effort. Having a dog really is an addition to your family and you better have the time to make its life decent and raise it right.

[annie_so_pink]

Dog bans are crazy....I mean I totally agree that it is the people's fault not the dog's....and also I think every dog is different just because one dog in a perticular breed does something doesn't mean that all the dogs of that breed will do the same thing....It is absolutely ridiculous that people are actually trying to ban different kinds of dogs!!!

[Lexus11]

I have to chime in, I agree with Blackdoberman and Chithedobe 110%. Irresponsible breeding is the root of the problem.

If there had only been responsible breeders from day one that breed to the standard and only then to improve the breed and were meticulous about WHO got their dogs this would never have happened. Such dogs would never ended up in the wrong hands. Yeah some dogs are more protective, I sure have one of those breeds.

Unfortunetely, we don't live in a perfect world, so we must do the best we can for our dogs and do the best we can to educate when we get the opportunity. Try to get people not to blame the breed for what one dog does, even then only because of its owner.

[TribalRats]

In my most humble opinion to get to the root of the matter we need to stop all breeding UNLESS it is done responsibly and for the primary purpose of bettering the breed. If that were to happen I would estimate that about 98% of breedings would stop. Fewer unwanted, uncared for, unsocialized and aggressive dogs in the wrong hands would mean fewer idiots owning them and fewer problems all around...

The only trouble with stopping all of the breeding except the responsible ones is that the stricter the rules, the more expensive the kennel licenses and the more hoops the responsible breeders have to jump through you end up only hurting the honest good breeders in the long run because Unethical breeders do not register there dogs, do not get dog or kennel licenses and there for would have to be stumbled upon by the authorities in order to be found out.
I am not saying that breeders should be unregulated by any means. Rules and responsibility are a good thing and a huge part of breeding. It should not be easy. Breeding should be gone into with immense forethought and utmost responsibility. We all know that, the trouble is that the unethical breeders that do not care where there dogs end up also do not care about local breeding regulations.
So, I agree that BSL's are NO GOOD and that it is the owners and the unethical breeders who are to blame not the puppies who grow up neglected and abused. However just please keep in mind that BYB, the fad breeder and even John and Jane Doe are NOT going to go through all of the steps to get a kennel license and fallow along with the county breeding guidelines producing only so many litters per year.
In my community the best defense against back yard breeders has been honorable breeders. They do NOT want to see there beloved breeds misused, abused and cast away in shelters so they get involved, try to educate and find out where some of these ill-bred pups have come from.
We need to find a way to weed out the bad with out alienating the good.

[Linda]

I think if leash laws were very strictly enforced that would really really help and cut down on the amounts of attacks by any breed.

[TribalRats]

I totally agree Linda. I think leash laws would make a difference.